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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

William Goodell Frost, President of Berea College 1893-1920; born LeRoy, NY, July 2, 1854; entered Beloit College, 1872; graduated from Oberlin, 1876; studied at Wooster and Harvard universities, also at Gottingen University, Germany; graduated in theology Oberlin, 1879; received tile degree of Ph.D. from Wooster, 1891; D.D. from Oberlin, 1893, and Harvard, 1907; author of “Inductive Studies in Oratory,’’ ‘‘Greek Primer,” etc.


‘‘And there arose not a prophet since in Israel, like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.“ - Deut. 34:10.

Moses was the ideal national hero of the Hebrew race. his story was learned by heart by every Hebrew child. His precepts and examples were the law in every Israelitish home. So far as the Jews surpassed the Philistines, and the Egyptians, and the nations round about, in character and spiritual ideals, it was largely through the influence of this ideal character of Moses.

And in the larger Israel of which we are a part, this same man Moses is an inspirer still, not as a national hero merely, but as one of the great spiritual leaders of the human race. Even those who may doubt the historical accuracy of some portions of the ancient record, can not fail to find in the ideal Moses an object-lesson of abiding power.

Moses was a lawgiver like Lycurgus; a scientist, learned in all the learning of the Egyptians, like Pythagoras; a statesman like Solon; a warrior like Pericles. But all these distinctions are passed over by the inspired historian, who names the one great character of the man in our text: “There arose not a prophet since in Israel, like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.”

The word prophet means a spokesman - one who speaks not for himself but for God. The prophet is not merely one who foretells future events - he is one who tells us the great principles of the universe, the laws of wellbeing and destruction, of right and wrong; one who gives us the mind of God.

There should be a prophetic element in every Christian man or woman. In enumerating spiritual gifts, Paul refers to the gift of prophesy as the most choice. The gift of healing is wonderful. The gift of tongues is wonderful. “I would,’’ says the apostle, “that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye should prophesy.” Every spirit-born soul should have some insight into the things of God which would enable him to speak with authority. And it is this speaking for God that is needed in every age, every nation, every community. We are all called to be prophets, and if we study Moses we shall be studying one who stands near the head of our profession, one who exemplifies in large outlines and on a sublime scale that prophetic mission which belongs to all who are truly born of God. What Moses was to his age and people, that in our measure you and I should be in our own homes, and among our own neighbors.

We can summarize the career of this great prophet in a few words: he was born in adversity, educated in solitude, arid called into public service against his will. He worked against all human probabilities; he was rejected by those he benefited; and he brought others to a land of plenty which he himself was forbidden to enter. All these are types of things in the experience of every true Christian.

He was born in adversity. How many millions of children have had their little hearts thrilled by the story of the childhood of Moses! There was the mother, the slave-mother, in her humble home. She was wondering whether her new-born babe should be a girl to share her slavery, or a boy to be put to death by the cruelty of Pharaoh. It was a boy, and she hid him through three anxious months. Then with loving hands she made the little ark, the floating cradle, and laid it in the reeds of the river, and set her daughter to watch it. And now when she has done her utmost and her best, divine Providence comes in. The daughter of Pharaoh comes down to the river. She sees the ark and sends her maid to fetch it. The princess and her maids are gathered around the strange cradle and the weeping child when his sister timidly approaches. Then said his sister unto Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” And the maid went and called the child’s mother!

However wise and great Moses may become, he can never forget the story of his childhood. And the world can never forget it. The poorest and the rudest of all the people who hear about Moses will not be altogether awed by his greatness, or chilled by the distance between him and themselves. Yes, this greatest of prophets was the child of a slave-mother - he was once a foundling on the banks of the Nile.

And he was educated in solitude. Solitude is a university where all of us may take courses if we will. Solitude means reflection. It means studying over the experiences of life. It means quiet listening to the voices of one’s own spirit, and to the voice of God. Moses had his preparatory course at the court of Pharaoh. He learned all of man’s wisdom as it was at that time developed by the foremost nation of the world. But after that preparatory course, he was banished to the wilderness. For forty years he was a shep¬herd in the mountains. He learned lessons from the wild-flowers and the brooks. He watched the shy gazelles and the soaring eagles. He traced out the constellations of the stars. He thought over all he had learned in Egypt, and new ideas which were not of Egypt were born in his soul. When a man is listening, and when human teachers are silent, then God teaches. And so it came to pass that Moses, all unconsciously, was educated for his high career, and led at last to the burning bush where God gave him his great commission.

He was called against his will. Moses had no desire to be a ruler. Place and power had no attractions for him. He had seen the vanity of all that years before when he was living at the court, and called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

There are many high places in this world which have to be filled. And there is always a crowd of’ applicants and aspirants and candidates, men who have little idea of the work and service for which the public offices exist, but whose heads are turned by the glamour and distinction of publicity.

A public office is a public service, and as a rule the higher the office the more severe the service. One who truly realizes the severity of public service, and has a high ideal of that service, can never be an eager candidate.

Moses was fully aware of his own deficiencies, and had very high notions of the kind of man who ought to be God’s representative in bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt. And the Lord said, “Come now, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.” And Moses said unto God, “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

And God said, “Certainly I will be with thee.” And Moses answered and said, “But, behold, they will not believe me; for they will say, ‘The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.’ “ Then the Lord gave him the power of working miracles with his rod and with his hand. But Moses said unto the Lord, “0 my Lord, I am not eloquent, but am of a slow tongue.” And the Lord said, “I will be with thy mouth; and teach thee what thou shalt say.” Then this modesty of Moses became a fault. He could mention no other objections, but he said, “0 my Lord, send I pray thee by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.” That meant, send some one else, not me. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses. And he said, “I will send Aaron with thee.” So Moses was persuaded with reluctance to enter upon his great mission. lie went from a sense of duty. He acted to please God, and to save his nation. And so he moved forward with that irresistible power which belongs to one who is not fighting for himself but for others.

Moses worked against human probabilities. He undertook something which was not likely to succeed. The chances were against him humanly speaking, there was no prospect that Pharaoh would let the people go, or that the people would prove worthy of the efforts put forth in their behalf.

This is the very essence of heroism. The hero risks defeat. He sees something which ought to be done. It never has been done. A thousand selfish obstacles stand in the way of its being done. A thousand wise men say it never can be done. But the hero sees it ought to be done. He fixes his attention upon that one point—it ought to be done, it ought to be done. Gradually there rises within him the faith that what ought to be done can be done. He does not know that it can be done, but he believes that it can be done. Really his faith is in a God who stands for all that ought to be done, and who has the power to do things which are from a human standpoint impossible. The hero changes the old motto as Lincoln did, and says, Right makes might.

So Moses became a hero before he ever left his mountain home. He became ready at God’s command to attempt the impossible. And so he started out with his brother who was a weakling, and his simple shepherd’s rod, to cope with the wisdom and the power of Egypt, and the folly and weakness of his own people.

We too often think of a great leader as he appears on the day of triumph, and forget the toils which brought that triumph to pass. Let us think of Moses waiting through anxious hours and days in the court of Pharaoh’s palace. Let us remember how he had to plan the march, the camp, the order, the security, the sustenance of the great moving nation. The early dawn brought suitors to his tent. There were quarrels to settle, disputes to arbitrate, mistakes to be corrected. Each hour of the day brought its new and unexpected perplexities. Moses must know how the advance-guard is moving, and he must know how the rear-guard is following. He must see to it that none stray off and are lost in the desert. And when night falls and other men have sunk into repose, the wearied leader must make the last rounds of the encampment, he must see that the fires are covered, and the guards posted, and the flocks and herds secure. And then he must snatch the uninterrupted hours of night to plan for the morrow. A million thoughtless, thankless people are happy and secure because of the night watches of that faithful leader.

He was rejected by those he sought to benefit. It began in Egypt. The first result of his appeal to Pharaoh was to make the bondage of the Hebrews more bitter, and like thoughtless children they turned against their friend. And they said unto Moses, “You have brought evil upon us, and put a sword into the hands of our enemies to slay us.”

And again at the Red Sea, when the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and “behold the Egyptians marched after them,” they were sore afraid, and they said unto Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die here.” But the patient leader said, ‘‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.”

And again a little further on the people forgot this great deliverance, and complained for lack of food, saying, “Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” But the prophet answered, “The Lord heareth your murmurings; for what are we, that ye murmur against us?” And the quails and the manna were sent them for food.

And again at Rephidim, the children of Israel did chide with Moses, and said, “Wherefore is it that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” And Moses cried unto the Lord saying, “What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone mp.” And the Lord said unto Moses, “Take thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river,…. and smite the rock, and there shall come water Out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place… Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

And a little later in the history we see the difference between the true leader and the false one. Aaron was the brother of Moses, but he was by no means of the same temper. Moses desired to lead the people for their good. Aaron desired to lead them merely to be a leader, not caring which way they went. The time came when Moses was withdrawn. For many days he was with God, in the mount, out of their sight. “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down,… the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods which shall go be¬fore us; as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land Egypt, we know not what has become of him.” There was Aaron’s opportunity. had he been a true leader he would have turned the people in the right direction. But he was weak and afraid. He was not man enough to lead them, and so he let them lead him. He said, yes, if you desire to do this wicked, foolish thing, I will show you how. If you will put me at the head of the procession I will go anywhere you say. And so Aaron takes their golden ornaments, and makes the golden calf, and plans for them a feast of idolatry and sin. There is the base leader, the man who loves a conspicuous position, but who does not use that position for the people’s good. He does not watch by night for the people’s welfare. He brings no message from Jehovah. He has no influence, no authority for good. He is ready to march at the head of the procession in any foolish, wicked enterprise the people may wish to take up.

Moses returns, and who shall describe his heart. “The Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and behold it is a stiff-necked people; now, therefore, let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them, that I may consume them, and I will make of thee a great nation. And Moses besought the Lord his God and said, ‘Why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people?’ “There is the great leader and prophet as an intercessor. He pleads for those who have wronged him and his God. He thinks not of their perversity, but of their danger, and their need. He has the same temper as a shepherd for his foolish flock, as a mother for her silly child. He loves them in their weakness and even in their sins, and such generous and loving intercescession prevails - the Lord repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people.

We can take but one more of these instances in which the prophet was rejected by those he sought to benefit. In these cases it was their lack of faith - they could not believe that God could deliver them, and give them food and drink - and their quick forgetfulness when Moses was out of their sight. There is still another way in which a true prophet or leader is sure to be rejected. The time came when they grew jealous of his power, and other people desired to take his place.

Korah, Dathan and Abiram, with two hundred and fifty men of renown in the congregation, “gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, ‘Ye take too much upon you; wherefore lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?’ “Moses was the meekest man that ever lived, but that did not prevent him from being accused of pride and ambition. None of these two hundred and fifty men of renown had received any revelation from the Lord, none of them had any plan for the benefit of their country. But they desired to occupy Moses’ position. The prophet gave a wise answer. He put forth no claim for himself. He simply said, “The Lord shall show whom he hath chosen.” And the Lord did show. The two hundred and fifty men of renown were swallowed up, and Moses was permitted to lead on the procession toward the promised land.

And so at last we see this man Moses bringing the others into the land of promise which he was not himself permitted to enter. Pha¬raoh and his Egyptians are sunk in the Red Sea. Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, have been overcome. Midian has been punished and conquered. The long wilderness road has been traversed at last. “The promised land” is before us! That is the land to which Abraham came. It is the land whereon Isaac and Jacob and the patriarchs pitched their tents and fed their flocks. For four hundred years every Hebrew mother has sung to her children of this wonderful promised land—the land of vines and pomegranates, the land of wine, and milk, and honey. And now it is no longer a song and a tradition only, but a reality. Yesterday we saw a distant mountain top which they told us was in that promised land. Today it is in plain sight, just across the river, and that is it - the promised land! We are each of us to have a home there, a part of the great pasture where Abraham and Isaac and Jacob used to encamp, where Isaac met Rebecca, where Jacob saw the wonderful ladder, and wrestled with the angel~ We are all to have an inheritance there - in a few days we shall go over and take possession.

But we shall go over without our great leader. Moses is forbidden to enter this promised land. It must always be told as a part of his story that he sinned. And sin must be punished, even the sin of a good man. Back there at the rock of Meribah, even when he was working the great miracle that brought the water for the thirsty thousands, Moses sinned. He spake unadvisedly with his lips; he failed that one time in not giving God the glory. He was impatient and willful.

“And Moses went up from the plains of Moab into the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manassah, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, and the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm-trees, unto Zoar. And the Lord said unto him, ‘This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed. I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.’ So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor; but no man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day. And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab forty days.” “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.”

And now, beloved, what has Moses to do with us? We wonder at his courage, we ad. mire his wisdom and patience, we weep at hh death. He is a sublime spectacle, as we gaze upon him. Can we come nearer to him, and find enough in his experience which is like that which is in our experience, so that he can be to us an example?

We can certainly learn from the example of Moses that a humble birth is no bar to great¬ness. Being born in adversity does not in¬sure a man’s greatness, but neither does it hinder it. None of us can say, “I would be better if I had been born in a palace, if I had been cradled in luxury.” Do not believe it. There are too many great men whose origin was lowly. Beginning with Moses in his ark of bulrushes in the river, we may find a long line of the children of poverty and adversity who have been raised up to greatness of spirit and of service. Let every child of the cottage, every son of toil, every daughter of obscurity, take courage. God calls such as you to be his prophets—his spokesmen.

And we may learn something from the education of Moses in the mountain solitudes. Doubtless one mind may be much more capable than another, but all minds are alike in this; they are strengthened and enlightened by reflection. When the mind is still and quiet, and yet awake, it gathers strength, and balance, it receives impressions that come from some mysterious source outside its own consciousness. The man or woman who is never alone, who lives in an unceasing round of activity, amusement, company, excitement, never grows wise or great. Our very studies fail to profit us unless we take time to reflect upon them. Here is the great opportunity for all whose lot is east in solitary places. They need not sleep, they need not stagnate, they need not pass the days without improvement. Here is the great use and value of the Sabbath - its voice summons a crazy world to reflection. Let us all find time to spend as Moses on the mountain tops, with thought, reflection, and worship.

And we may learn something from Moses about public life, and public duties. He was slow to accept a public office, because he realized the burden of it, and was not dazzled by the outside show. It is a great responsibility to guide my own steps aright; how much greater if another is to follow me. The fool says, “Make me an officer, a captain, a governor; I want to wear the badge and the title, and to ride at the head of the pro¬cession.” The wise man says, “how do I know that I am the best man to lead the army or to rule the state?” It would have been bet¬ter for Braddock and for the world, if he had never been general. It would have been better for many a man if he had never won the office in which he afterward disgraced himself. When we undertake any responsi¬bility let us be sure that the Lord calls us, and that He is ready to go with us, and guide and sustain and instruct us.

But on the other hand when God does call us, we can go forward in confidence and courage. “I will be with thy mouth,” saith the Lord. He will qualify you for every task He sets before you.

And there is another great thought here. Moses was not a king, or president, but a prophet, and that is a more important office. The great world is being slowly pushed toward righteousness not so much by its conspicuous office-holders as by its prophets in obscure places - the teachers, mothers, preachers, who speak for God in remote homes and churches. When all these are bold and faithful, we have a public sentiment which will control our governors and legislatures whether they be good or bad.

You or I may not be called to speak as Moses did, to an entire nation, but we are called to speak for God each in his own circle. This speaking for God is not a self-assertion, and it is not done with the desire to override others but to do them good. To this prophetic life every one of us is certainly called. God wishes in solitude to teach us His will and way, and then to have us boldly and lovingly proclaim that will and way of God to our neighbors. So each one of us will lead some fellow mortal into the promised land.

Moses was rejected by those he sought to benefit. So it will be with us. Let no one set out to be a prophet expecting to receive his main reward in this present life, at the hands of those he benefits. It is very important to understand this principle at the outset. If the people were all prophets they would not need a Moses. He comes to them precisely because they are blind and need a guide. The very business of a prophet is to contend against unbelief and ingratitude. He should not be angry at the unbelief and ingratitude he is sent to cure any more than a doctor should be angry at finding his patients maimed or diseased. It is his business to deal with those who are defective. A prophet must study the symptoms and conditions of the unbelieving multitude, and learn how to cure that unbelief, He must expect to find people unbelieving and unappreciative, but if he can not change them he must simply conclude that he is an unskillful prophet!

And finally Moses brought others to a land of plenty which he was not permitted himself to enter. This, too, is the common experience of those who are leaders of men. It takes a lifetime to transform a community, and when the community is transformed the man or woman who has done it passes to a higher reward than any this earth can give. It is not always so, but this is the rule.. William of Orange secured the freedom of his country, but he was struck down by an assassin before he himself knew that his work had been a success. Abraham Lincoln restored the Union, but he was not permitted to live out his days in the country he had saved. And so many a teacher and many a parent dies without being permitted to see the pupil or the son whom they have started in the path of honor - they are not permitted to live to see him win his highest attainments.

These things are said in order that none of us may set our hearts upon that which may disappoint us. Do not be a prophet for the sake of being adored by the people you benefit, and do not be a prophet for the sake of the enjoyment of bringing people into the promised land. It will be enough, and more than enough, if you can see that promised land, even by faith, afar off. Be a prophet because God calls you, and because in that high calling you are brought near to him.

The glory and the greatness of Moses lay in the fact that he was one who spoke for God, and one whom the Lord knew face to face. This high commission of spokesman for the Almighty, and this intimacy of being known by the Lord, is not confined to the few and the great. The mother of Moses, whose very name has been forgotten, also spoke for God when she ordered the hiding of the child, and the Lord knew her in her, humility and her affliction. The rulers of hundreds, and the rulers of fifties, and the rulers of tens, who were appointed to share the burdens of Moses, all these became spokesmen for God in their several places, and the Lord knew them also.

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